The title of Frank Zappa's 1973 album Over-Nite Sensation was, expectedly, dripping with sarcasm; the album was the prolific composer-bandleader's seventeenth overall release. But the "sensation" part was spot-on. The LP became Zappa's first of two U.S. gold-certified releases and an ideal entry point into his musical world. On November 3, Zappa Records and UMe celebrate the 50th anniversary of this landmark record in a variety of formats including a 4CD/1Blu-ray super deluxe edition, 2LP and 3LP "highlights" editions, and digital and Dolby Atmos releases.

Following the "Flo and Eddie" comedy-rock era and a pair of jazz-influenced sets (Waka/Jawaka and The Grand Wazoo), Zappa and The Mothers' Over-Nite Sensation introduced a new Zappa sound. Enlisting none other than Tina Turner and The Ikettes for (alas, uncredited) background vocals, FZ handled most of the lead vocals - and all of the album's guitar work - himself. Personnel at the Bolic Studios and Whitney Studios sessions included such accomplished talents as Kin Vassy of The First Edition and Ricky Lancelotti (Shindig, The Banana Splits) on vocals; Sal Marquez on trumpet; Ian Underwood on various woodwinds; Bruce Fowler on trombone; Ruth Underwood on percussion; Jean-Luc Ponty on violin; George Duke on keyboards and synths; Tom Fowler on bass; and Ralph Humphrey on drums. Though the album only had seven songs, most of them became mainstays of Zappa's live sets; the frequently off-color lyrics became favorites of his college audiences. The first release on FZ's own DiscReet label, the funky, accessible, and rock-oriented Over-Nite Sensation reached No. 32 on the Billboard 200.  Zappa's fusion on this LP of the highbrow and the lowbrow informed much of his style for the years to come.

The five-disc (4CD/1Blu-ray Audio) Super Deluxe Edition features a whopping 88 tracks in total, including 57 previously unreleased tracks and mixes.  As always, Zappa was highly experimental during recording sessions, and the album also went through various sequences. Three songs were ultimately dropped from the album ("Inca Roads," "RDNZL," and "Wonderful Wino"), and all three are heard in unique versions here. ("Inca Roads" would appear first in 1975 on One Size Fits All, with "RDNZL" following in 1978 on Studio Tan; "Wonderful Wino" wasn't released until 1996's The Lost Episodes). Single versions of "I'm the Slime" and "Montana" are also heard among the demos, rehearsals, improvisations, and assorted bonus tracks.

Produced and compiled by Ahmet Zappa and Zappa Vaultmeister Joe Travers, the 50th anniversary edition also includes the 2012 Over-Nite Sensation album remaster by Bob Ludwig and two previously unreleased live concert recordings from 1973 showcasing the same Mothers line-up that recorded the album: one from Los Angeles' Hollywood Palladium, and another from Detroit's Cobo Hall. The Blu-ray Audio disc contains Over-Nite Sensation as newly remixed into 5.1 surround and Dolby Atmos by Karma Auger and Erich Gobel at Studio1LA (the same team responsible for the Dolby Atmos and surround mixes of the recent Waka/Wazoo collection) plus the original 1973 quadraphonic (4.0) surround mix and the 2012 stereo remaster in both 24-bit/192kHz and 24-bit/96kHz. A 48-page booklet boasts liner notes from Mark Smotroff and Travers as well as previously unpublished photos from the album cover shoot by Sam Emerson.

Vinyl fans will find two releases in the format: a 2LP 180-gram black audiophile vinyl reissue with the album cut at 45 RPM from the original analog tapes by Chris Bellman at Bernie Grundman Mastering in 2023 (plus a 24" x 12" poster of the complete cover art) and a limited edition 3LP deluxe clear vinyl version with four-color splatter with the album cut at 45 RPM on LPs 1 & 2 and a third LP with 35 minutes of bonus tracks selected from the box set, cut at 33 1/3 RPM by Bellman. The limited-edition clear pressing also includes the bonus poster. It's available for pre-order exclusively from Zappa.com, uDiscover Music, and Sound of Vinyl. The contents of the super deluxe edition will be released digitally in hi- and standard-resolution, and the Dolby Atmos album mix will also be made available.

The previously unreleased "Fifty-Fifty (Basic Tracks, Take 7)," recorded at Whitney Studios in April and May 1973, is streaming now. This delicious instrumental mix spotlights many of the album's signature ingredients: funky rhythm, unexpected time signature changes, an earworm melody, loose improvisation, and most of all, The Mothers' virtuosic musicianship.  Look for all formats of Over-Nite Sensation: 50th Anniversary Edition from Zappa Records and UMe on November 3! You'll find the track listings and pre-order links below.

Frank Zappa and The Mothers, Over-Nite Sensation (Zappa/UMe, 2023)

5CD/BD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada

CD 1

Over-Nite Sensation - 2012 Remaster (Discreet MS 2149, 1973)

1. Camarillo Brillo
2. I'm The Slime
3. Dirty Love
4. Fifty-Fifty
5. Zomby Woof
6. Dinah-Moe Humm
7. Montana

Bonus Session Masters

8. Wonderful Wino (Complete Edit) (*)
9. Inca Roads (1973 Version, 2023 Mix) (*)
10. RDNZL (1973 Mix) (*)
11. For The Young Sophisticate (Dolby EQ Copy)
12. I'm The Slime (Single Version)
13. Montana (Single Edit with Intro)

Bonus Vault Sensations

14. Inca Roads (Bolic Take-Home Mix) (*)
15. RDNZL (Take 2) (*)
16. X-Forts (Echidna's Arf (Of You)) (*)

CD 2

Bonus Vault Sensations

1. Camarillo Brillo (Alternate Mix) (*)
2. Face Down (I'm The Slime - Demo) (*)
3. I'm The Slime (Basic Track Outtake) (*)
4. Dirty Love (Session Rehearsal) (*)
5. Dirty Love (With Quad Guitar) (*)
6. Fifty-Fifty - Pipe Organ Intro Improvisations (*)
7. Fifty-Fifty (Basic Tracks, Take 7) (*)
8. Dinah-Moe Humm (Session Rehearsal) (*)
9. Dinah-Moe Humm (Bolic Take-Home Mix) (*)
10. Montana (Bolic Take-Home Mix) (*)

Live In Hollywood, California, Hollywood Palladium - March 23, 1973

11. Montana (*)
12. Dupree's Paradise (Intro) (*)
13. Dupree's Paradise (*)

CD 3

Live In Hollywood, California, Hollywood Palladium - March 23, 1973

1. Cosmik Debris (*)
2. "The Dynamic Sal Marquez!" (*)
3. Big Swifty (*)
4. "...The Successor To Willie The Pimp" (*)
5. The Curse Of The Zomboids (I'm The Slime) (*)
6. Don't You Ever Wash That Thing? (*)
7. FZ & The Percussion Section (*)
8. Palladium Jam - Part 1 (*)
9. Palladium Jam - Part 2 (*)

CD 4

Live In Detroit, Michigan, Cobo Hall - May 12, 1973

1. Cobo Hall '73 Band Intros And Sound Check (*)
2. Exercise #4 (*)
3. Dog Breath (*)
4. The Dog Breath Variations (*)
5. Uncle Meat (*)
6. Fifty-Fifty (*)
7. Inca Roads (*)
8. FZ Introduces the Don't Eat The Yellow Snow Medley (*)
9. Don't Eat The Yellow Snow (*)
10. Nanook Rubs It (*)
11. Alfonzo's Pancake Breakfast (*)
12. Father O'Blivion (*)
13. Alfonzo's Pancake Breakfast (Reprise) (*)
14. Join The March (*)
15. Cosmik Debris (*)
16. Medley: King Kong/Chunga's Revenge/Son Of Mr. Green Genes (*)

Blu-ray Audio Disc

Over-Nite Sensation - The Album

Dolby Atmos (*) / Dolby TrueHD 5.1 (*) / Dolby TrueHD 1973 Quadraphonic / 24-bit/192kHz Stereo / 24-bit/96kHz Stereo

1. Camarillo Brillo
2. I'm The Slime
3. Dirty Love
4. Fifty-Fifty
5. Zomby Woof
6. Dinah-Moe Humm
7. Montana

(*) Previously unreleased

2LP - 45 RPM VINYL EDITION (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

LP One - Side 1

1. Camarillo Brillo
2. I'm The Slime

LP One - Side 2

1. Dirty Love
2. Fifty-Fifty

LP Two - Side 3

1. Zomby Woof
2. Dinah-Moe Humm

LP Two - Side 4

1. Montana

3LP DELUXE EDITION (Zappa.com / uDiscoverMusic.com)

LP One - Side 1 (45 RPM)

3. Camarillo Brillo
4. I'm The Slime

LP One - Side 2 (45 RPM)

3. Dirty Love
4. Fifty-Fifty

LP Two - Side 3 (45 RPM)

3. Zomby Woof
4. Dinah-Moe Humm

LP Two - Side 4 (45 RPM)

2. Montana

LP Three - Side 5 (33-1/3 RPM)

1. Wonderful Wino (Complete Edit) (*)
2. Inca Roads (1973 Version, 2023 Mix) (*)
3. RDNZL (1973 Mix) (*)
4. For The Young Sophisticate (Dolby EQ Copy)
5. I'm The Slime (Single Version)

LP Three - Side 6 (33-1/3 RPM)

1. Montana (Live in Hollywood, California - March 23, 1973) (*)
2. Face Down (I'm The Slime Demo) (*)
3. Camarillo Brillo (Alternate Mix) (*)
4. Dirty Love (With Quad Guitar) (*)

(*) Previously unreleased